Part Two: Cautious Interchange: Shien and Nataku
"Nervous flashlights scan my dreams
Liquid shadows silence their screams
I smile at the moon
Chasing water from the sky
I argue with the clouds
Stealing beauty from my eyes."
"They're looking for you, Nataku-sama. Your father is in a rage now."
"Let him be!" Nataku retorted, eyes flashing angrily. His voice was cold. "Is that why you came? To fetch me? I can go back by myself, thank you very much." The sarcasm didn't pass unnoticed between the two.
Shien was silent, choosing at that moment to take in the surroundings. A deep, tree-lined valley, misty with fog and peacefully silent except for the occasional buzz of crickets. Infinitely better than the harsh mountain a few seconds ago, but still a perplexing alternative. It was quite a plain sight, really, and Shien didn't have the slightest idea why his master loved it so much.
Well, Nataku had always puzzled him, he thought, a wry smile slightly lifting the corners of his mouth. In fact, these oddities never failed to charm him.
"No, of course not," he answered seriously.
"Why then? This better be important." Underneath the cold veneer, he actually was hoping for an answer - any answer- unconventional enough. Perhaps a confession... he crossed his fingers.
The answer he received proved his long-standing belief that he not one of Lady Luck's favorite people.
"Omens, my lord. Portents of things to come tomorrow."
"Oh." Nataku bit the inside of his cheek a tad too hard, to hide his disappointment. "The Gyumao subjugation?" he managed to articulate. He could taste blood trickling down his throat.
"Yes, my lord. I am disturbed by these visions. I fear for your safety."
Nataku turned abruptly and stared hard at Shien, who met his gaze with sad eyes. Their gazes remained locked too long to be comfortable. Shien felt the stirrings of something dark and melancholy inside him- he could not put his finger on the particular emotion, but suffice it to say that it made the gaze of his master intolerable, although not in any manner uncomfortable.
Averting his eyes to the velvet black sky, he mused,
"The beauty of the moon is fully revealed only when set against the darkest of night skies. Similarly, why does a candle burn so brightly in the gloom, yet is hardly noticed in daylight? Despicable as darkness is, it is necessary to bring out the goodness and beauty in those it cannot overpower."
Nataku had turned his gaze to the bone-white moon that hung low in the sky. Distress burned his heart as he listened to his beloved. Assuming Shien was criticizing him, he sharply replied, "This is my duty. Martyrdom is the farthest thing from my mind."
"I did not say that, Nataku-sama."
"You speak in riddles. What is it that you wish to convey with such provocative words?"
"Metaphors, master. Things incapable of being said outright. I know this is an improper time, but..." Shien hesitated as he finally noticed Nataku's hurt expression.
"I...I'm sorry. I did not mean to be impudent." The stone-like expression he usually wore crumbled for a moment in a rare show of emotion: the brows drawing together, and the lips quivering slightly.
He felt a lump swell in his throat. "Forgive me for interrupting your meditations. If I may take my leave, master." Shien bowed low, waiting for his dismissal.
The moon was liquid light on Shien's raven hair, and how Nataku ached to run his hair through those strands, maybe brush away the stray lock that hung like the most beautiful silk spider-thread over his forehead. But in the end, his pride won, as it always did.
"You may go."
"Thank you." With that, he disappeared. It was only when he was gone that Nataku realized he never received a proper answer as to why Shien appeared in the first place.
A muffled crash broke the night's silence, as Nataku felled the tree nearest to him.
Curse this pride! Curse it, curse it, curse it.
~end, Chapter 2~
~TBC~
Author's Note: There you have it. I'm extremely glad I updated right away. It gives me a sense of accomplishment.
To enervate, Nataku and Mrs. Rusalki: Thank you so much for reviewing the first chapter. I'm glad there are Shien/Nataku supporters out here! Your reviews were very flattering. I hope you like this chapter. It is, after all, dedicated to you. mwah!
Love,
blinkie©